The world of tech and social were abuzz last week as the annual CES conference in Las Vegas launched on Thursday, January 5, 2017. Startups, consumer electronics providers and tech brands, both large and small, graced various venues throughout Las Vegas to demo their latest technology advancements. From self-driving vehicles to smart computers, CES had it all, and the major social media platforms were along for the ride to cover every aspect of the event.
Facebook was the official social media sponsor of CES 2017 with complete coverage of the event. Facebook pulled out all stops to give the most accurate and real-time updates of the conference. The Facebook - CES sponsorship allowed the world to stay up to date with the conference in real-time through live videos, full content streaming, and virtual tours, while gaining premium “back-stage” access from Facebook only content.
Despite some of the negative press Facebook has received in the past months concerning data analytic issues, they utilized their CES sponsorship to prove to both consumers and brands that they are still the leader in the social-dependent world. Every inch of the CES conference was covered on all mediums of the social platform’s site.
We couldn’t expect Facebook to handle all the CES broadcasting without a little competition from Twitter. Twitter teamed up with Vox for a complete coverage of the event using every form of media available. Vox deployed their technology editorial team, The Verge, to follow the live reporting of the conference. The Verge team satisfied the needs of their young, tech-savvy audience with the use of tweets, snapchats, periscopes and live-videos to cover the event.
Twitter also teamed up with the Consumer Technology Association to create a seamless CES experience for all attendees. Attendees could start a direct message with @CES to gain a full Twitter Guide containing information on company booths, speakers, events and more. The guide helped to eliminate any confusion that could deter an attendee’s CES experience.
Snapchat was a key social media player at CES, without actually attending or sponsoring the event. Instead, Snapchat strategically placed one of their Snapchat Spectacles locations outside of the conference arena. Hundreds of CES attendees left the showroom floor for their chance to grab a pair of the limited supply of Snapchat eyewear.
CES 2017 was one for the books. The world’s greatest technology advancements were on display and thanks to the endless live-coverage supplied by social platforms, all eyes were on Vegas. Facebook and Twitter saw an exponential spike in the conversations on CES across their platforms, creating a larger global conversation than ever before. As CES displayed its technological advancements, social media providers did not hesitate to utilize their platforms to create the best virtual CES experience for their users.
